Anatomy of an Opioid Trial, United States v. Hansen (2024)

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A topic near and dear to Ron's heart, he discusses the federal structure surrounding the scheduling of drugs. He goes all the way back to the early 1900's to discuss the early cases against physicians walking the listener through the changes in the law prior to the Controlled Substances Act signed into law by Richard Nixon. Each era is punctuated with a specific decision of the United States Supreme Court. 

Ron moves on to discuss the Oregon Death With Dignity Act and a prominent Supreme Court case that tailored back DOJ authority to define the practice of medicine. Ron then walks the listener through the DOJ's end around by creating the CDC guidelines and its impact on pain patients. 

Finally, Ron spends the second half of the episode discussing the trial of Dr. Kendall Hansen a physician prosecuted in Covington Kentucky that Ron was personally involved in just a week prior to the date the episode aired. 

By the conclusion of the episode the listener will have a robust knowledge of the legal landscape surrounding opioids and the federal enforcement of drug laws against physicians.